RESUMO
Progress, problems and outlooks in studies of functions of carotenoids in cells of living beings.
Assuntos
Carotenoides/história , Carotenoides/química , Carotenoides/fisiologia , História do Século XIX , História do Século XX , HumanosAssuntos
Carotenoides/história , Prêmio Nobel , Filatelia , Vitamina A/história , Áustria , Alemanha , Guiana , História do Século XX , Humanos , Complexo Vitamínico B/históriaRESUMO
Mom's conventional wisdom of eating fruits and vegetables to lead a healthy life has evolved with scientific, fact-finding research during the past four decades due to advances in science of "Foods for Health". Epidemiological and prospective studies have demonstrated the vital role of fruits, vegetables, and nuts in reducing the risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. In recent years, several meta-analyses strongly suggested that by adding one serving of fruits and vegetables to daily diet, the risk of cardiovascular diseases will be decreased up to 7%. The multidisciplinary and partnership efforts of agriculture and medical scientists across the globe stimulated interest in establishing certain interdisciplinary centers and institutes focusing on "Foods for Health". While the consumption of various healthy foods continues, several questions about toxicity, bioavailability, and food-drug interactions of bioactive compounds are yet to be fully understood on the basis of scientific evidence. Recent research on elucidation of the molecular mechanisms to understand the "proof of the concept" will provide the perfect answer when consumers are ready for a "consumer-to-farm" rather than the current "farm-to-consumer" approach. The multidisciplinary research and educational efforts will address the role of healthy foods to improve eye, brain, and heart health while reducing the risk of cancer. Through this connection, this review is an attempt to provide insight and historical perspectives on some of the bioactive compounds from the day of discovery to their current status. The bioactive compounds discussed in this review are flavonoids, carotenoids, curcumin, ascorbic acid, and citrus limonoids.
Assuntos
Dieta , Promoção da Saúde , Ácido Ascórbico/análise , Ácido Ascórbico/história , Ácido Ascórbico/uso terapêutico , Carotenoides/análise , Carotenoides/história , Carotenoides/uso terapêutico , Ensaios Clínicos como Assunto , Curcumina/análise , Curcumina/história , Curcumina/uso terapêutico , Dieta/história , Flavonoides/análise , Flavonoides/história , Flavonoides/uso terapêutico , Educação em Saúde , Promoção da Saúde/história , História do Século XVII , História do Século XIX , História do Século XX , História do Século XXI , Humanos , PesquisaRESUMO
1. This is a review of the current state of research on the structure and functions of carotenoids, a common group of natural pigments. 2. Discussed in this paper are recent advances in carotenoid studies and problems that still await elucidation. 3. A new natural nomenclature is proposed to rationalize investigation of biological functions of carotenoids. 4. Data included in the paper are taken from the book, "Biological Functions of Carotenoids" (Karnaukhov, 1988).